We are San Diego County clergy who stand for the rights & dignity of all trans children, youth, & adults.
On Oct. 29, over 900 adults and children filled Pride Square in Hillcrest for the TransFamily Support Services’ “Boo Bash.” It would be difficult to overstate the importance of this celebration for the physical and emotional well-being of transgender youth, who have tragically become the latest targets of politically motivated hate speech across the landscape of the American culture wars.
Sadly, the Boo Bash was marked by controversy in recent weeks. During the public comments portion of the Oct. 11 Encinitas Union School District board meeting, several community members — angry that the Boo Bash had been posted on peachjar.com, an online bulletin board used by the district — made inaccurate and transphobic remarks that pathologized trans people, decried LGBTQ “gender ideology,” and accused board members of being “groomers” and “activist pimps,” adding that they “got caught with their sparkling panties down.”
Ironically, much of this harmful speech invoked God in support of hateful ignorance. As faith leaders from across San Diego County, we and too many others to list here — though they are listed at transallyclergy.com — stand in solidarity with trans people who are not only members of our communities but members of our congregations. We affirm, celebrate and support them in their trans identities as made in the image of God and, as such, deserving of unmitigated dignity and worth. As clergy, we are called by love, truth and dignity to elevate the inestimable worth of every human being, beginning with the most vulnerable among us and celebrating the rich variety of life God has given.
We do not doubt the sincerity of those at the Encinitas Union school board meeting who, like each of us, value protecting children. But such fearful and bigoted rhetoric violates the dignity of trans people and places them at greater risk, especially trans youth. While nationally, LGBTQ+ youth face disproportionately higher risks of homelessness, substance abuse, violent assault and suicide, evidence indicates that this is not due to their sexual orientation or gender identity but is instead a consequence of the stigmatization they face in American society.
The Trevor Project National Survey on LGBTQ Youth Mental Health in 2019 found that youth who reported having at least one accepting adult were 40 percent less likely to report a suicide attempt in the past year.
In 2021, that same survey revealed that trans and nonbinary youth who reported having pronouns respected by all or most people in their lives attempted suicide at half the rate of those who did not have their pronouns respected by anyone with whom they lived.
A study by Dr. Jack L. Turban published in the December 2021 issue of the Journal of Adolescent Health showed that earlier social transitions for trans youth resulted in better long-term mental health outcomes, while a hostile school environment led to a marked increase in suicidality.
Put simply, trans youth lives are at stake when we stigmatize them.
This should be foremost on our minds as we approach Transgender Day of Remembrance on Nov. 20. But crucially, being trans cannot be reduced to a medical condition or a constellation of risks. Nor is trans a “gender ideology.” Rather, it is the wholly lived experience of millions of children and adults all over the world. We agree with Britain’s most senior religious leaders — including former Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams — who wrote earlier this year: “To be trans is to enter a sacred journey of becoming whole: precious, honored and loved, by yourself, by others and by God.”
Therefore, when anyone opposes a trans person’s rights and status, they are denying the sacred beauty of that person’s full humanity with all its joys and blessings. Any actions or speech that erase or invalidate the experience of trans and other LGBTQ+ people malign the image of God and directly endanger the lives of our transgender siblings, especially young people. We condemn all such actions and speech and affirm our trans siblings as beloved children of God, deserving of care and protection.
Our sacred task, then, as a community is to ensure the right of trans youth and adults to be seen, heard, celebrated and supported. While we may all have different ideas about how best to accomplish this, we propose three commitments for the task:
We protect children best from a posture of love, not fear.
We discover truth best from a commitment to facts, not misinformation.
We create better solutions from a practice of mutual dignity, not disrespect.
These commitments flow directly from the wellspring of our faith. As clergy, we commit to these in honest, ongoing and good-faith dialogue for the cause of love and the liberation of all people.
Signed,
San Diego Union-Tribune Op-Ed, Nov 4th, 2022
Rabbi Richard Agler, San Diego Rabbinical Assn.
Deacon Margaret Schmitt Ajer, San Marcos Lutheran Church, San Marcos
Rabbi Gabi Arad, Jewish Collaborative of San Diego, Carlsbad
Rabbi Alexis Berk, Temple Solel, Cardiff
Cantor Caitlin Bromberg, Temple Etz Rimon, Carlsbad
Rev. Dr. Nancy Burnett, St. Bartholomew’s Episcopal Church, Poway
Rev. Jason A. Coker, The Oceanside Sanctuary, Oceanside
Pastor Jenell Coker, The Oceanside Sanctuary, Oceanside
Rev. Dr. Faith J Conklin, United Methodist Church, Escondido
Pastor Drew Davis, North Coast United Methodist Church, Oceanside
Rev. Brian Daly, Pacific Beach Christian Church, Pacific Beach
Rev. John Demaree, Ramona United Methodist Church, Ramona
Rev. Iona Dickinson, University City United Church of Christ, San Diego
Rev. D. Rebecca Dinovo, St. James by the Sea Episcopal Church, La Jolla
Rabbi Benj Fried, Temple Emanu-El, San Diego
Rabbi Jeremy Gimbel, Beth Israel, San Diego
Rabbi Ally Jacobson, San Diego Jewish Academy, San Diego
Rev. Dr. Beth Johnson, Palomar Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, Vista
Rev. Dr. Michael Kinnamon, Pacific Beach Christian Church, La Mesa
Rev. Alex Kip, Oceanside Sanctuary, Oceanside
Rabbi David Kornberg, Congregation Beth Am, San Diego
Heather Lawrence, Curate, St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church, Encinitas
Rabbi Marty Lawson, Temple Emanu-EL, San Diego
Rev. Dr. Caleb J. Lines, University Christian Church, San Diego
Rev. Rebecca Littlejohn, Vista La Mesa Christian Church, La Mesa
Rev. Marcus Lohrmann, Shepherd of the Valley Lutheran Church, La Mesa
Rev. Rebekkah Lohrmann, St. Peter’s By The Sea Lutheran Church, San Diego
Pastor Molly Lorden, Normal Heights United Methodist Church, San Diego
Rev. Deacon Pete Martin, St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church, Encinitas
Rev. Amanda McGlynn, King of Kings Lutheran Church, Oceanside
Rabbi Scott Meltzer, Ohr Shalom Synagogue, San Diego
Rev. Sam Nelson, Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Encinitas
Rabbi Jason Nevarez, Congregation Beth Israel, San Diego
Rev. Sandra Olewine, California-Pacific Conference of the United Methodist Church
Rev. Brian Petersen, Holy Cross Episcopal Church, Carlsbad
Rev. Manuel Retamoza, St. Andrew's Lutheran Church, San Diego
Rabbi Yael Ridberg, Congregation Dor Hadash, La Jolla
Pastor Trudy Robinson, First United Methodist Church, San Diego
Rev. Brent Ross, Normal Heights United Neighborhood Church, San Diego
Minister Marshela Salgado, University Christian Church, San Diego
Rev. John T. Shaver, San Deguito United Methodist Church, Encinitas
Rev. Dr. Leigh Ann Shaw, Vista United Methodist Church, Vista
Rev. Chelsea Simon, The Collective Table, Encinitas
Rev. Kirby Smith, All Saints' Episcopal Church, Vista
Rev. Brenda J. Sol, St. Andrew's Episcopal Church, Encinitas
Rev. Sarah Sumner-Eisenbraun, St. Andrew's Lutheran Church, San Diego
The Rev Canon Allisyn Thomas, St. Paul’s Episcopal Cathedral, San Diego
Cantor William Tiep, Temple Solel, Cardiff
Co-Pastor David Tran, Table San Diego, San Diego
Rev. Claire Watson, The Collective Table, Encinitas
Pastor Laura Ziehl, Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Encinitas